Trump Jobs Boom Continues Before Inauguration Day

The number of companies announcing investment — and in many cases a return to investment — in the U.S.A. with a corresponding rush to create jobs for Americans has continued to grow even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

In the weeks after his election on November 8, a series of large corporations announced major initiatives to expand in the U.S. but, since then, the number has only grown.

By the middle of December, several companies had announced new jobs and expansion plans for the U.S., including Carrier Air Conditioner Manufacturing (1,000 Jobs), SoftBank Telecommunications (50,000 Jobs), U.S. Steel (10,000 Jobs), and IBM (25,000 Jobs). In addition, representatives of America’s small businesses noted that Trump’s election filled them with hope for a resurgence in startups and a new expansion phase for their constituents.

But since December, the number of companies announcing expansion plans for the U.S. have only grown. Other companies announcing large expansion projects include the following:

Ford: 700 Jobs to Start

As January began, Ford Motor Company went public to tell Donald Trump that they are ready to deal with the new administration and also noted that at least 700 new jobs were on the table with more to come as the year rolls onward.

SAP SE: 400 Jobs

German business-software maker SAP SE is adding nearly 400 jobs to its Pittsburgh and suburban Philadelphia facilities, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Amazon.com: 100,000 Jobs

Amazon is eyeing a huge expansion starting this year and recently announced it intended to add up to 100,000 workers to its retail staff in new facilities across the nation.

Many of these jobs will be in brand new fulfillment centers the online giant plans to begin building this year.

Lockheed Martin: 1,800 Jobs

Aeronautics leader Lockheed Martin told President-elect Trump that it intends to hire over 1,800 new workers in the coming months.

Indeed, Lockheed feels that its expansion will bring even more jobs indirectly. CEO Marillyn Hewson said of the new jobs, “when you think about the supply chain across 45 states in the U.S., it’s going to be thousands and thousands of jobs.”

GM: 1,500 Jobs and $1 Billion Investment

General Motors said this month that it is looking to re-invest in factories in the U.S.A. and will add some 1,500 or more jobs to its roster of workers. The plans will include a one-billion-dollar plan to build new manufacturing lines in the U.S.

Bayer AG: $8 Billion Investment

The Trump transition team is touting a commitment by German-based Bayer AG pharmaceutical company to invest an additional $8 billion in the U.S.A. in research and development in cooperation with Monsanto AG.

The announcement came on the heels of a “very productive meeting” between the Trump team and Bayer CEO Werner Baumann and Monsanto chief Hugh Grant.

Walmart: 10,000 Retail Jobs, 24,000 Construction Jobs

Retail giant Walmart is eyeing an expansion plan to build new stores that will eventually amount to some 10,000 new jobs in outlets across the country. But it will also mean up to 24,000 jobs for construction workers needed to build the new stores.

Walmart intends to build at least 59 new stores in fiscal year 2017, according to a statement by the company.

LKQ: 150 Jobs and New HQ in Tennessee

Publicly traded automotive company LKQ Corp is establishing a new headquarters in the Nashville, Tennessee, area. It is a sign that the company feels that the automotive industry in the U.S. is on track to grow in the age of Trump.

There are others, of course, and more are sure to follow as Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office to become our 45th President on January 20.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.